On a seemingly average fall day, Patricia Urquiola and other such design luminaries packed into the Gucci Hub, a onetime Caproni aircraft factory transformed by the Milan-based fashion brand. The curious folks present were not in attendance thanks to a glitzy runway spectacle. Instead, they had gathered for the second iteration of Next Design Perspectives, a conference conceived by Altagamma, a consortium of luxury Italian creative and cultural businesses. The one-day event set out to explore the role, and power, of design in a shifting, precarious world through the robust lineup of designers, academics, and scientists. Deyan Sudjic, the current codirector of the Design Museum in London, curated the educational spectacle.
Lisa White, director of lifestyle and interiors and future innovations at the trend forecasting company WGSN, kicked off the proceedings by revealing six insightful trends that can be embraced across the industry—such as fostering inclusive networks, responding to increasingly older and younger generations, and realizing that in an era of digital craftsmanship you don’t need to create a product physically.
In another talk that examined how individuals will work and live in the future, Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola admitted that it's human nature to “create a bit of mess around us.” (She quickly added though that in an uncertain future, there will be new intuitions to help guide us.) Joining Urquiola on stage was Marcus Engman, the former head of design at IKEA, who discussed his focus on “making things better.”
Elsewhere, AD100 designer Ilse Crawford, the force behind British firm Studioilse, talked about improvement of another variety: invigorating interiors with meaning to make spaces “last and be loved.” As an example, she pointed to Refettorio Felix, a community kitchen at London's St. Cuthberts, which was brought to life chef Massimo Bottura’s food waste–fighting non-profit, Food For Soul. “How can you bring human dignity to a soup kitchen and make it beautiful?” the interior designer rhetorically asked the crowd, adding that she believes these types of questions should be continuously pondered in order to bring richer interior design to life.
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Such human-centric slants will be necessary to the evolution of creativity, as the prolific British designer Tom Dixon is certainly well aware. Growing up during the glam rock 1970s, there was great music but bad food in England, he recalled at the conference. Still, he had an enduring interest in gastronomy, art, and the entertainment business—all of which he's now deftly merged in his restaurant and other such businesses.
Sara Ferrero, CEO of the Italian leather goods brand Valextra, talked about working with designers such as Kengo Kuma, Martino Gamper, and Max Lamb on boutiques around the world, while increasing “store traffic by nine times.” With customers treating shops as enticing art exhibitions, it’s certainly an approach that more design brands could capitalize upon for their own showrooms.
There was a similar artistic thrill when, in 2013, the Bouroullec Brothers designed a draped, ropelike Swarovski chandelier to be hung at the Château de Versailles. By discussing this ambitious project, Nadja Swarovski, executive board member of the Austrian glass giant, reinforced the importance of “bringing art to the public and making it democratic.” No matter what lies ahead, that might just remain one of the most potent ways of engaging any audience.
